To settle in England

Let me talk about the English Premier League for a bit. Now I know it has its supporters,  I myself follow an English side of sorts (not alot of English players play there so can you really call them an English side?), and for the most part it's an exciting league with great atmosphere, the singing and the chants, I understand all that.

The myth, propagated by SkyTV and Rupert Murdoch, Fox Sports, the English media and their football establishment for the most part, is that it is the most popular league in the world where the best players are playing, investors are lining up to share in the wealth of a limitless footballing economy, new Stadia, etc. Now I won't go into every detail but I can shine a light on one interesting fact: if the Barclay's Premier League is so great, then why are the greatest players in the World for the most part avoiding it like the plague?

The obvious one is Kaka. He's approached my Manchester City, rejects them on principal, "I want to be captain at Milan for many years to come", he says, and people are shocked that he would take less money to play in Spain just 6 months later when Real Madrid come calling. Let's stay at Citeh. Robinho, fearing for his playing time under Berndt Schuster as it is, finds the prospect of backing up Cristiano Ronaldo in Madrid appalling and calls out for Felipao to save him at Chelsea but settles for the blue half of Manchester. Elano who is already there, and Jo who comes later and is sent on-loan to rival Everton, quickly bring their countryman up to speed; none will stay happy at Eastlands under Sparky. It's not a Brazilian thing either. All accounts are that Brazilian youngsters Fabio, Rafael and Anderson are happy at Manchester United, but it is also looking more and more likely that a fair number of foreign imports are on their way out of England. Roman Pavlyuchenko wants out at Spurs. Giovanni Dos Santos, a full Mexican International, can't get minutes in the same squad because 'Arry can't make it work for him and the other water-bug, Croatian International Luka Modric at the same time. It's not Spurs either, although I understand the desire to get out of White Hart Lane, because Aliaksandr Hleb, Mathieu Flamini, Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Adebayor and even captain Cesc Fabregas have all been unsettled at rivals Arsenal in recent years as well. Some have left, some are leaving as we speak, and some continue to offer speculation of a return to their home country. I havent even mentioned the Cristiano Ronaldo saga at Manchester United or Carlos Tevez even, although he's the outlier: someone who wants to move out of United but will settle for Citeh? Please.

It's not a new phenomenon. English pundits are talking all the time about the failure of said player to adapt to the rigors of playing in England. The pace of the game is leagues ahead of any other. You don't have the space, or the time on the ball, the culture is different and the expectations are immense. You need to be of a certain character to succeed if you're a foreign player. Very few make the grade they say. It's too hard too hard to play in England they say. Foreign clubs or foreign media are consantly trying to unsettle them; it's always about the return. When are you coming home they say. How much longer will you stay they say. But what if the real problem at hand isn't the player, or his inability to stomach meat pies and the balmy weather in Sunderland on a Saturday afternoon in January. What if it isn't his selfish desire to return home or get paid more?

What if the problem is England? Is the style they prefer just better suited to a player with a very narrow skill set? Craig Bellamy is a perfect example. He has great pace still for an older player. Doesn't get along well with team-mates. He never stays at the same place for too long: Norwich City, Coventry City, Newcastle, Celtic, Blackburn, Liverpool, West Ham and now Manchester City. A valued commodity in England that pacy winger with an engine that won't quit. Dirk Kuyt is a similar player for Liverpool. In the Citeh hierarchy though, is he valued more than Robinho, by the one person who counts, a guy he played for before (manager Mark Hughes) for club and country?

Is it even the Premiership managers? Can they deal with the easily bruised egos of Brazilians, Argentineans, and Spaniards, let alone the Africans, Eastern Europeans and all the other ethnicities in today's Premiership? Continental managers like Rafa Benitez, Gianfranco Zola, Carlo Ancelotti and of course Arsene Wenger are well aware of the needs of the modern player, but so are British managers like Harry Redknapp, David Moyes, and Sir Alex Ferguson. You can't be successful and xenophobic nowadays.

What if it's the English game itself that's the problem? Listen to a match. Hear the crowd when there's a horizontal pass between midfielders or a backwards pass to a keeper. Listen to the whistles. Hoof it, they scream. A John Terry or a Gareth Barry hear that voice in their own head. It's a voice they've been hearing since they were kids. Route one to a goalmouth scramble for goal. Stop wasting time on the ball. Stop showboating. Attack the area. An Amr Zaki doesn't hear that voice at first, he's been hearing different voices (party on, have a drink, you look lovely tonight maybe?) but he soon learns to play with the expectations of the English game, or he finds other employment. Don't get me wrong. I'm not criticizing, but I wonder if that's the reason why players leave.

Think about that during the transfer window. Franck Ribery, Zlatan, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Villa, David Silva, and many more are in the process of exchanging addresses of employment. They can't all play in Madrid or in Barcelona, but Spain is certainly their number one destination. How many will settle for England? And if they do, how many of them will again get the wandering eye if an opening is available at Real Madrid or Barcelona FC.